felixthecat1 Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 [ QUOTE ] I have a K plate 80 Avant TDI and when it was in getting MOT earlier this year the guy said it was in better shape the the 25k miles, 2 year old Mondeo LX that was in for its MOT!!!!!!!! [/ QUOTE ] Beware the closing gap. Manufacturers like Merc and VW have dropped the ball and the others are catching up. You only have to look through the forum to see some of the silly problems owners are getting hammered with, from manufacturers that used to have good reliability records. Oh, I used to have an Audi 80 2.0 SE, built like a tank it was until the drive shaft went. Nothing's perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattR32 Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 Yes and I had a mk2 GTi that was still going strong at 180k miles BUT that was many years ago. Have you noticed these little things called mobile phones recently? Or maybe these laptop things? The industry has changed dramatically since then - Mercs have now become overpriced laughing stock in terms of quality (an old Merc used to last forever), and are easily beaten my mainstreamers. VWs break down a lot and totally lost direction after the mk2 GTi Golf, Audi have not regained their handling magic since the Ur Quattro, BMWs are great but have a dreadful image problem, etc. If you REALLY want reliability and quality, you go Jap - They destroy everything in JD Power and other surveys. They just don't have that image though, so are not an option for the brand dinosaurs. German cars are still good, but not 30%/40% better as the prices show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felixthecat1 Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 [ QUOTE ] Have you noticed these little things called mobile phones recently? [/ QUOTE ] I remember breaking my thumb trying to get 2p into the bloody Payphone slot, standing ankle deep in pi$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattR32 Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 That must have been a loooooong time ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilB Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 Ford Germany's sales record is woeful, they have tried everything from low prices to even hiring German racing drivers to drive anything with a Ford badge on. Add the fact that the Ford empire is upto thier eye balls in debt, and it's only the banks that are keeping them going shows that thier worldwide sales are not that great. I refuse to buy anything Ford due to the fact of the total balls up they have made of Jaguar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted September 15, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 [ QUOTE ] I refuse to buy anything Ford due to the fact of the total balls up they have made of Jaguar. [/ QUOTE ] Not done too bad with Aston Martin though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterb Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 [ QUOTE ] I remember breaking my thumb trying to get 2p into the bloody Payphone slot [/ QUOTE ] 2p? I remember feeding the box with four old pennies and then pressing button 'A'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felixthecat1 Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] I remember breaking my thumb trying to get 2p into the bloody Payphone slot [/ QUOTE ] 2p? I remember feeding the box with four old pennies and then pressing button 'A'! [/ QUOTE ] I like you, you made me feel young for a minute, just a minute but it was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilB Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] I refuse to buy anything Ford due to the fact of the total balls up they have made of Jaguar. [/ QUOTE ] Not done too bad with Aston Martin though... [/ QUOTE ] True but people have always been willing to pay for Astons though. Jag's should be about sporty, classy and affordable cars like the MKII? And what have Ford gave us with Jaguar? The X Type - A Mondeo with a Jag badge, and it's a rubbish car (As MrMe will tell you) The S Type - Which is supposed to have a good drive according to reports, yet the front looks like a pron star waiting to do something to somes member... The XK - Needs a limited slip diff and a manual box and the autobox as an option, like the concept XKRR a few years ago. It's rivals in the sector do so why can't this? And the new one looks too much like a DB9 and I'm still not convinced by the face of it. A proposed SUV which hopefully will never see the light of day. I'm sick to death of at car shows having Jaguar concepts, showing "Jaguar's of the future" Well how about making them rather then just showing a one off on a stand! And moving away from Coventry is stupid, it's a bit like BMW moving from Munich and basing itself in Berlin. Jaguar can't win with Ford, make them too sporty and people won't want a Aston. Make them too toned down and Volvo will loose sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 I see you didn't knock the XJ. I think they're learning. The S Type is still ugly, but it's now a far far better car than the rebodied Lincoln that was the first incarnation. And I understand the latest X Type has had an awful lot of improvements to try and bring it up to standard. It's still basically a bling'd Mondeo though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 [ QUOTE ] I see you didn't knock the XJ. [/ QUOTE ] Looks wise, the new XJ is not a patch on the last gen one. The new XJ looks bloated. However, the engines, ally body etc is a good move forward. They don't seem to have made much marketing effort to tell every one it's an ally body. I would love an old XJ!!! New one - no thanks. I also prefer the XJS to the XK! (got my flak jacket on!!) However, back to the main Ford topic.....I knew sales in Germany were bad, but not that bad......I wonder how much the price of the ST will be in Germany? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 I think the new XJ is a stunning car, mechanically. Nearly all reviews of it rave about it's equipment levels, ride quality and performance - not to mention fuel economy. However, I do think they've been a little conservative with the styling. It doesn't offer the on road presence of a BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S Class or an Audi A8 and I think that's a crying shame. It also has an image to shake off that others don't seem to be blighted with. Whilst the others may be considered rather 'slipper and pipe' like....they're not quite in the 'ready for the coffin' section that the XJ seems to occupy. I like them though, but I'd probably choose an A8 or a 7-series if push came to shove. If they changed the looks a bit, well I'd be easily switched to the Jaguar. The X Type is the most shocking 'marque' car I have ever owned or even driven - but I'm honest enough to say I know the quality hasn't suffered on the XJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smjohns Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 Is it just me or have Ford put back the first order date for the ST back a month? Dealers were supposed to be taking orders as of 01/10/05 and the counter on their microsite confirmed this.......except it has now gone up by 30 days? http://www.ford.co.uk/ie/foc_c307_experience/-/foc_st_microsite/-/-/-/-# edit.....oh hang on the launch weekend count down is now up and it is 100days away...doh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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